District V develops program to fund Junior Fellow projects

Tanya E. Franklin, MD, District V Junior Fellow chair

In 2009, the Junior Fellow Congress Advisory Council (JFCAC) developed the Junior Fellow Initiative Toolkit (JFIT) Contest, which calls for Junior Fellows to submit descriptions of notable educational or community service projects they’ve accomplished. One winner is selected each year, and all the projects are posted on the Junior Fellow website in a simple, adaptable form for others to start their own projects.

Last year, the District V Junior Fellow Advisory Council decided to follow suit and highlight all the amazing service project ideas throughout the district. Our goal was to encourage Junior Fellow leadership within our district and communities. The deadline for the District V JFIT Contest was July 31, 2012. We received eight creative, innovative project proposals:

“AIDS Day 2012: Bringing Scientific Research to the Community” (Indiana University in Indianapolis)

The decision was difficult, but three proposals were awarded the District V JFIT Contest prize of $500 each to complete their projects. Chosen projects were:

“AIDS Day 2012: Bringing Scientific Research to the Community”

“Adolescent Reproductive Health Education”

“Women’s Reproductive Health Outreach”

The winners were expected to submit their final projects to the JFCAC JFIT Contest, though all applicants were encouraged to do so.

The JFCAC contest received nine submissions. We’re proud that three competitive projects came from District V. Kelly Kuo, MD, and her colleagues at Case Western University Hospitals MacDonald Women’s Hospital won the JFCAC contest with their “Adolescent Reproductive Health Education” project. Dr. Kuo will receive a $2,500 cash prize to fund her attendance to the 2013 Annual Clinical Meeting in New Orleans. She will present the project during the Junior Fellow Breakfast Business Meeting at 7 am on Tuesday, May 7. Read more about the winning project.